Abraham to Father Many Nations 1 UST { Years} later, when Abram was ninety- nine years old, Yahweh came to him and told him,“I{ am} God{ who is} all- powerful. Live in a way that pleases me so that you will be blameless. BSB BSB: When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty. Walk before Me and be blameless.
2 UST I will establish my agreement with you, and I will increase{ the number of} your descendants so that they are very numerous.” BSB BSB: I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
3 UST { When} Abram{ heard that, he} bowed with his face to the ground{ before God}{ to show respect}, and God continued speaking to him, BSB BSB: Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,
4 UST “Listen, this is what I will do to fulfill my agreement with you: I will make you a community of peoples. BSB BSB: “As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations.
5 UST So your name will no longer be Abram. Rather,{ from now on} it will be Abraham, because you will be the ancestor of many people groups. BSB BSB: No longer will you be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.
6 UST Yes, I will give you many, many descendants, so that you will become{ the ancestor of many} people groups. In fact, some of your descendants will be kings. BSB BSB: I will make you exceedingly fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will descend from you.
7 UST I will establish my agreement with you and{ all} your descendants{ who live} after you for{ all} generations to come. It will be an agreement that never ends, that I will be your God and{ the God} of{ all} your descendants. BSB BSB: I will establish My covenant as an everlasting covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
8 UST I will also give to you and your descendants this land where you have been living as a foreigner,{ yes,} the entire region of Canaan. They will own it forever, and I will be their God.” BSB BSB: And to you and your descendants I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as an eternal possession; and I will be their God.”
The Covenant of Circumcision 9 UST Then God continued,“Now as for your part{ in this agreement}, you must obey me.{ That applies to} you as well as{ all} your descendants for{ all} generations to come. BSB BSB: God also said to Abraham, “You must keep My covenant—you and your descendants in the generations after you.
11 UST Yes, you must circumcise the foreskins of{ all the males among} you, and that{ custom} will remind{ you all} that{ I made} this agreement with you. BSB BSB: You are to circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and this will be a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
12 UST For all{ future} generations you must circumcise{ every} baby boy who is eight days old,{ as well as} all{ other} males among your people.{ That includes} males from your own family as well as those who{ are} not your descendants but{ are servants whom you} bought from foreigners. BSB BSB: Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner—even those who are not your offspring.
13 UST { Yes,} you must definitely circumcise{ all of} them,{ regardless of whether} they are sons from your own family or servants whom you have bought. That is how you must mark my agreement on your bodies to show that it is an agreement that never ends. BSB BSB: Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.
14 UST In fact, if any man refuses to let you circumcise him, you must{ send him away and} not allow him to associate with my people,{ because} he has disobeyed{ what I require in} my agreement.” BSB BSB: But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
15 UST God{ also} told Abraham,“{ As for} your wife Sarai, do not call her Sarai{ anymore}. Rather,{ from now on} her name will be Sarah. BSB BSB: Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai, for her name is to be Sarah.
16 UST I will bless her, and I will definitely enable her to bear a son for you. In fact, I will bless her so that she will{ have many descendants that will} become{ many} people groups, and some of her descendants will{ even} be kings{ who rule} over people groups.” BSB BSB: And I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will descend from her.”
17 UST { When} Abraham{ heard that, he} bowed with his face to the ground{ before God}{ to respect him}, but he laughed{ silently} and thought to himself,“How can a hundred- year- old man{ like me} father a child? And how can Sarah, who is ninety years old,{ still} have a baby?” BSB BSB: Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, “Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?”
19 UST God replied,“Yes, but{ it is} your wife Sarah{ who} will give birth to a son for you. You must name him Isaac. He{ is the one} I will establish my agreement with, as a permanent agreement{ that I will also keep} with{ all} his descendants{ who live} after him. BSB BSB: But God replied, “Your wife Sarah will indeed bear you a son, and you are to name him Isaac. I will establish My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
21 UST But I will establish my agreement with{ your son} Isaac. Sarah will give birth to him at this time next year.” BSB BSB: But I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this time next year.”
22 UST After he had finished talking to Abraham, God left him and ascended{ to heaven}. BSB BSB: When He had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
23 UST Then Abraham gathered his son Ishmael and all the{ other} males who were born in his household and all{ his male servants} whom he had bought,{ yes,} every male in his household. Then on that same day he circumcised them, exactly as God had commanded him{ to do}. BSB BSB: On that very day Abraham took his son Ishmael and all those born in his household or purchased with his money—every male among the members of Abraham’s household—and he circumcised them, just as God had told him.
24 UST Abraham{ was} 99 years old when he was circumcised, BSB BSB: So Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised,
25 UST and his son Ishmael was thirteen years old when{ Abraham} circumcised him. BSB BSB: and his son Ishmael was thirteen;
26 UST { So it was,} on that same day{ both} Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. BSB BSB: Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised on the same day.
27 UST And all the{ other} males in Abraham’ s household,{ including} those{ who had been} born in his household as well as those{ whom he had} bought{ as servants} from foreigners, were also circumcised. BSB BSB: And all the men of Abraham’s household—both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners—were circumcised with him.